A Job Well Done: Someone Made Bond For the Inmate Who Assaulted Dylann Roof

A Job Well Done: Someone Made Bond For the Inmate Who Assaulted Dylann Roof

In a much-hailed if modestly problematic act of righteous revenge, an African-American inmate allegedly sucker-punched racist creep and murderer Dylann Roof - an act that sparked much online praise for the "vigilante hero," a fundraiser for donations to his commissary account, and, finally, the posting of his $100,000 bond by a supporter. Roof is in protective custody at the Charleston County Detention Center for killing nine African-American churchgoers in South Carolina in 2015; he was in the shower when Dwayne Stafford, a 26-year-old inmate reportedly doing time for either weed violations or strong arm burglary, allegedly got out of his cell, reached Roof, and landed a couple of punches to his face. The sheriff said Roof was attacked “for no reason,” which many would argue was less than accurate.

Roof suffered only minor injuries, and his lawyer declined to press charges - a wise move, given the ardent online support for his attacker. While there was some acknowledgement of legal and moral niceties - prisoners should be safe in prison, violence is bad, let the system do its thing - most people felt Roof had considerably more than a couple of punches coming to him for his heinous act, which included praying with his victims before gunning them down. Praise for Stafford ranged from carefully worded support like, "We're not making any judgments here but by the way here's his address to help him out" to more explicit bravos for "the brother of the year," "a job well done," "showing us what black power really is," and the reality that "not all heroes wear capes." Shortly after news of the assault surfaced, the Tennessee-based Taking A Stand Against Discrimination posted a donation page to Stafford's online commissary account so folks could "donate to the man who beat up Dylann Roof." The next day, 18 months after he'd originally been arrested, an anonymous supporter posted his bond, and on Friday he was reportedly freed. From one cosmically-minded supporter: "It's not justice, but it's something."

Further

Lord, what would John Lennon have made of the Trump monster? Marking Thursday's 36th anniversary of Lennon's murder, Yoko Ono posted a plea for gun control, calling his death "a hollowing experience" and pleading, "Together, let's bring back America, the green land of Peace." With so many seeking solace in these ugly times, mourns one fan, "Oh John, you really should be here." Lennon conceded then, and likely would now, "Reality leaves a lot to the imagination."